Snow Removal

Snow Routes

A primary system of unmarked snow routes has been established for effective snow removal on the collector and arterial system. The snow routes are divided into first priority and second priority routes.

First Priority: Any hour service by the Street Division for first priority snow routes.

Second Priority: To receive immediate attention following plowing of first priority routes.

Other Residential Streets: Plowed within 48 hours of the end of snowfall in excess of 3 inches. Less than 3 inches will not be plowed from residential streets unless drifting occurs.

Alleys: Alleys will not be plowed except to maintain essential City services.

Public Parking Lots: Plowed within 12 hours of the end of snow event by Street Division. Parking lots and sidewalks administered by the Kalispell Parking Commission are not covered by this Policy.

CBD-Street Parking: Snow moved from parking areas within 24 hours of snow event by Street Division, depending on severity of occurrence.

Sidewalks: Sidewalks at City operated facilities shall be cleared within 36 hours of end of snowfall. Clearing snow from sidewalks adjacent to private property is the responsibility of the property owner or resident. City Code Sec. 24-17.

Sanding/Ice Control: Use of street sanding abrasives and chemicals will be dictated by specific weather and road conditions of each snow event. Street sanding abrasives and Sodium Chloride solution, with rust inhibitor, shall be used sparingly and only when application will produce a proven result. Sanding abrasives generally will not be used except when a solution of Sodium Chloride will be ineffective.

Private Driveways: City plows are not responsible for clearing private driveways or snow from private property.

Plowing Private Property: It is strictly forbidden for a city plow to clear snow or ice from private property unless it must be done to allow emergency vehicle access. Pushing snow from private property onto the public streets or sidewalks is also prohibited by the City Code section 24-18.

Plowing & Parking in Residential Areas:

Snow plowing will proceed in the following sequence: In central Kalispell plow operators will clear Avenues on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Plow operators will clear snow from Streets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. If you must park your vehicle on the public street then you are requested to park on the nearest adjacent Street or Avenue on the days when plows are operating. For the most part the affected areas are those with numbered Streets and Avenues that comprise the older central core of residential Kalispell. Other residential areas, typically South of 18th Street, East of Woodland Avenue, West of Meridian Road, and North of Colorado Street, where off-street parking is more abundant, are not impacted by the request to move vehicles between Streets and Avenues. However, snow clearing in these outlying areas will be greatly improved if on-street parking is held to a minimum.

Please note: Plow operators will attempt to clear snow from curb to curb. Where access to the curb line is blocked by parked cars the vehicle owner should expect snow to accumulate around the parked car as the plow passes the vehicle. City crews will try to avoid plowing snow against a parked vehicle. However, if it does happen they will not be able to assist in removing the piled snow.

It is strictly forbidden for a City plow to clear snow or ice from private property.

The snow season is considered to be the period from November 1 through March 31